Oil spills destroy ecosystems and kill wildlife, but people's health is directly affected too. As the situation in the Gulf Coast unfolds, the local communities and workers must be protected.
Oil is semi-volatile, which means that it can evaporate into the air and create a heavy vapor that stays near the ground - in the human breathing zone. When winds whip up oily sea water, the spray contains tiny droplets - basically a fume - of oil, which are small enough to be inhaled deep into the lungs. We know that's happening in the Gulf Coast, because people are reporting a heavy oily smell in the air. Already my colleagues in Louisiana are reporting that people in the coastal community of Venice, Louisiana are suffering from nausea, vomiting, headaches, and difficulty breathing. Knowing the health effects of oil, I'm not surprised.
Oil contains petroleum hydrocarbons, which are toxic and irritating to the skin and airways. It also contains volatile chemicals, called VOCs, which can cause acute health effects such as headaches, dizziness and nausea. Over the long term, many of these chemicals have been linked to cancer, so there are lots of reasons to worry about inhaling them.
Some people are at especially high risk:
Pregnant women - VOCs have been associated with miscarriage, so I would advise pregnant women to leave the area near the spill if they can.
People with respiratory disease cannot afford the additional lung damage from these chemicals, and should evacuate the area if possible.
The EPA is doing air monitoring and posting it on their website, and I will be carefully following the levels of contaminants in the air. I'm disappointed not to see hourly air quality updates, since the winds are dying down and shifting, so rapid hourly reporting would help health workers and local residents respond to the changing conditions.
I'm also worried about the clean-up workers. BP has hired local fishermen to help with the clean-up effort. It's great to provide employment and to involve them in the effort to save the Gulf Coast, but I'm worried. The fisherman have not been fully trained on how to work safely with hazardous materials. Worse still, reports from our Gulf Coast partners indicate that they may not be getting adequate protective equipment. The clean up workers need respirators with vapor cartridges (and need to be checked for adequate fit). They need heavy impermeable gloves, and protection on their arms. Remember, these chemicals can damage the skin and even be absorbed through the skin. This clean-up needs to be done quickly, but it also needs to be done safely. Eleven workers are already dead from the explosion; let's make sure worker and community health is protected from now on.
This post originally appeared on NRDC's Switchboard blog.
Stuart Whatley: The Capitalist Hagiography Has Little Room for Saints
When a corporation falls short of regulatory standards it does not do so accidentally. Rather, it is a calculated choice based on risible enforcement efforts and piddling penalties passed by legislators on the take.
Gina Solomon: Oil Spills and Human Health: Lessons from History
Oil spill clean-up brings workers and volunteers into close contact with chemicals that are known to be hazardous to human health. Â As we deal with...
Rev. Fletcher Harper: Silence, God, and the Gulf Coast Oil Spill
The world's religious traditions teach that we owe respect and care to the earth, to our own bodies, and to the world's most vulnerable communities. In the wake of the Gulf oil spill, it's time to listen to these traditions, to strengthen our resolve, and to act.
www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/58817/title/BP_oil_rig%E2%80%99s_sinking_and_gushing_crude_raise_questions
And check that bottom comment.
Very poignant human and environmental impacts of an oil spill.
Who are we? Big Business has dictated how our energy policy is run, look at the closed door meetings with the Dark Lord, and than we have unqualified people in the positions that would oversee these companies, instead of those that are qualified.
I think this is one very important bit of information.
Let us NOT repeat the destruction of human lide AFTER 9/11. There too people were even told THEY DID NOT NEED FACE MASKS so all would feel safe. And hudnreds died, thousands have developed chronical illnesses from what had been pulverized into the air that day.
I have been trying to raise that point elsewhere on HuffPo and all people care about is who should be blamed. It is obvious they no clue to what the impact this disaster will have.
— Cree Proverb
Frankly, I think that the biggest disaster in all of this (from a human perspective; I can not even begin to contemplate the non-human impact yet as it is simply too horrific) is that this may result in a mass migration from the south...bringing the very mentality which fosters disasters of this sort (anti-government, pro-free-market-big-business, anti-environmentalist, pro-FOXNews) to a voting booth near you.
http://www.blackwavethefilm.com/
I read this article titled "Oil spill has little impact on human health" on msnbc earlier and it's been bothering me all day:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36921960/ns/health-more_health_news/